Our top five picks for things to do this week: Ravinia gets ready to rock (really) . . . Iggy oils up . . . a Pritzker/Marsalis coproduction premieres . . . weekend plans from Chicago’s squire about town . . . and more

THE FIVE

Don’t-miss picks for Wed 08.25.10 through Tue 08.31.10:

1

concertsRodrigo y Gabriela The masses will flock for the following night’s headliner, Carrie Underwood, but you, savvy reader, know not to miss this ubertalented twosome who play rippling guitar instrumentals that combine the sensuality of Latin acoustic and the aggressiveness of heavy metal, with blazing speed as the common element. Be there when Ravinia lets its hair down. Finally.GO:Aug 28 at 7:30. $16-$45. Lake Cook and Green Bay, Highland Park. ravinia.org

ALSO THIS WEEK: And also at Ravinia, the MacArthur “genius,” violinist, and former child prodigy (consult YouTube for vintage clips of one freakishly talented nine-year-old) Leila Josefowicz rivals R y G in fleet-fingered speed. Catch her Aug 25.

2

concertsIggy and the Stooges Forty years ago, the Stooges’ primitive, powerful garage rock—not to mention the outrageous onstage stunts of Iggy Pop, who remains one of rock’s essential, and astonishingly buff, stars—laid the foundation for punk. The band’s current lineup includes the indie-rock hero Mike Watt on bass and, sitting in for Ron Asheton, who died last year, James Williamson, the guitarist on the group’s recently reissued 1973 high point, Raw Power. A don’t miss.GO:Aug 29 at 7:30. $47.25. Aragon Ballroom, 1106 W Lawrence. ticketmaster.com

3

filmLouis The trumpeter Wynton Marsalis makes a rare Chicago appearance without his Lincoln Center big band, here fronting a ten-piece ensemble that provides a live soundtrack to the world premiere of Louis, a silent film directed by the former Chicagoan and frontman of the defunct rock band Sonia Dada, Dan Pritzker (yes, of those Pritzkers). The movie covers Louis Armstrong, Charlie Chaplin, and the birth of jazz; was shot by the Oscar-winning cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond (Close Encounters of the Third Kind); and stars Jackie Earle Haley (The Hurt Locker). With so many big names (and big money) involved, our head is already spinning, and we haven’t even slipped into our budget-friendly $30 nosebleed seats.GO:Aug 25 at 8. $30-$40. Symphony Center, 220 S Michigan. cso.org

4

sports/recBoulevard Lakefront Tour The final gem in summer’s leisure-cycling triple crown (we remember Bike the Drive in May and LATE Ride in July like they were just yesterday), BLT offers an even more laidback pedal through the city’s parks and neighborhoods. Three options ranging from 16 to 62 miles mean bikers of all levels can join in; $7 postride lunches from Goose Island mean you won’t go home hungry. GO: Aug 29. Day-of registration at 6, rides begin between 7 and 9. $25-$40. Morgan and Taylor. boulevardtour.org

5

concertsChicago’s Finest Hour @ Hideout We’ll be honest: We don’t know a thing about the bands on this week’s bill (Flame Shark, T-Bird Magera, The Cells, Curtis Evans), but that’s precisely the point: This revived monthly showcase aims to do the legwork of culling through the local music scene, then presenting you, in just one hour of your precious time, the cream of the crop. Past participants have included Archer Prewitt and Anna Fermin—just imagine if you could say you knew them when.GO: Aug 27 at 6:30. $5. Hideout, 1354 W Wabansia. hideoutchicago.com

FREEBIES OF THE WEEK

festivalsBucktown Arts Fest; Yanga Fest The former: our pick for goods you could give as gifts but will want to keep for yourself. The latter, formerly known as the DuSable Museum Arts & Crafts Festival: more works for sale by area artisans, plus an African dance performance, and the opening of a new exhibition, The African Presence in Mexico.GO:Bucktown: Aug 28-29 from 11 to 7. Senior Citizens Memorial Park, Oakley and Lyndale. bucktownartsfest.com. DuSable: Aug 28-29 from noon to 8. 740 E 56th. dusablemuseum.org

danceChicago Dancing Festival Tickets are long gone for this annual free fest’s first two performances, but no reservations are needed for night 3, a whiz-bang finale featuring the Mark Morris Dance Group, Ballet West, and Joffrey, among others. GO:Aug 28 at 7:30. Pritzker Pavilion, Michigan and Randolph. chicagodancingfestival.com

ALSO THIS WEEK: Inspired to bust a move of your own? Chicago Summerdance wraps for the season on Aug 29, with one hour of dance lessons followed by two hours of shimmying under the stars in Grant Park.

WHAT I’M DOING THIS WEEKEND

Up next in our new series of weekend plans from notable, in-the-know locals (a.k.a. people we like): Bunky Cushing, the gentleman-about-town who Vogue called Chicago’s “social tugboat” . . .

“I’m going to Montrose Beach, across the street from my condo, to finish a biography I’ve been—oh, what’s the word?—slugging through, The Queen: A Biography of Elizabeth II, by Ben Pimlott. And then I’m going to take the Broadway bus down to the Landmark Century Centre to see a double feature of The Extra Man and I Am Love. I’m [stocking] up on Peanut M&Ms now.”